Focus and Commitment

“When I stepped from hard manual work to writing, I just stepped from one kind of hard work to another.” — Sean O’Casey

This morning I glanced at my cell phone and noticed that I missed a call from someone who does not call me very often. She did not leave a message, and I wondered if I should return her call. In some ways, technology has created a lot more work for me. In the old days, when cell phones were the size of bricks, I wouldn’t know that someone had called me and decided not to leave a message. But these days, we can’t escape undetected. If I misdial a number and hang up when I realize my mistake, I can expect to hear from someone I don’t know and don’t want to talk to.

What does this have to do with writing? Everything. Writing is an exercise in avoiding distractions. Focus and commitment are the writer’s greatest tools – more important than talent, I believe, because without the discipline, talent is likely to be wasted. Focus and commitment are why I don’t return missed calls. I have better things to do, such as write blogs.

Phone Management

"The free-lance writer is a man who is paid per piece or per word or perhaps." - Robert Benchley

Interruptions are the writer’s bane. I can create plenty of interruptions on my own; these don’t seem to fire me up. But when I am in a writing groove, a ringing phone or door-to-door solicitors can make me think about having a shot of bourbon at ten in the morning. Who would have guessed that evangelicals would find me in the middle of nowhere? Since my desk sits next to a window overlooking the front steps, I can’t pretend I am not here. I am polite but firm with everyone who knocks on my door. It is reasonable to smile and ask them to never come back.

The phone is another matter. I am clear about this—I am under no obligation to pick up the phone just because it rings.  When I worked at an office, drawing a paycheck from someone else, I didn’t chat on the phone. I only took urgent calls from my family.  So, why should I answer calls when I am writing at home? This is where I make my money, so why would I let phone interruptions interfere with my livelihood?

I monitor my calls. There are a lot more now that we are closer to the elections. Any call that pops up “private number” or “toll-free number” is not answered.

As for the sound of the phone ringing, I pretend that it is a sacred bell, calling me to be mindful. I breathe and smile three times, grateful that I am not talking to a telemarketer.

So Much to Write

"If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad. As to that regular, uninterrupted love of writing, I do not understand it. I feel it as a torture, which I must get rid of, but never as a pleasure. On the contrary, I think composition a great pain." - Lord Byron

One of the most simultaneously maddening and wonderful thing about being a writer is that there is so much to write. It’s like reading—so many books, so little time. With writing it is:

• So many words, so little time
• So many genres, so little skill
• So many rewrites, but how perfectionistic can I be? Besides, can I ever achieve perfection? Of course not! Just whisper,Faulkner to me and I’m tempted to throw away my pen. That is, until that other voice whispers to me, write.

Other Writers

"It took me fifteen years to discover I had no talent for writing, but I couldn't give it up because by that time I was too famous." - Robert Benchley

I subscribe to a couple of writing magazines, blogs, and on-line newsletters. Sometimes I devour them; other times I glance at them briefly, too busy to take in new information. My favorite is Writer’s Digest (WD), which I’ve subscribed to for a million years (yes, I used a chisel to write). Usually there is no earth-shattering writing in WD, but it is a touchstone for me. When I read interviews of other writers, I see that they struggle over some of the same issues that I did or do. It’s just like the old adage about the rich and famous—they still put their pants on one leg at a time.

So if the fact that I struggle with the same obstacles that other writers confront makes me a writer, then I guess I qualify. However, unlike Benchley, I am not famous.

Writing Instruments

To hold a pen is to be at war. — Voltaire

I believe that Voltaire meant, to write is to be at war, presumably at war with oneself, although he could have been referring to the slogan, the pen is mightier than the sword. I am digressing. Here is what I really want to say—if Voltaire were alive, he would have said, to use a computer is to be at war. I realize that the computer is a convenience, but ONLY WHEN IT WORKS!!! Sorry for yelling—things have been building up.

When I turned 50, my husband gave me a Mont Blanc pen. It is an instrument of peace and meditation.  This week I could not find refills at any store in Grass Valley, so I ordered some online. When I am frustrated with my computer, there is nothing like writing with a favorite pen. It is to be at peace. However, to be out of ink is dangerous business, especially if one is already in computer-heck.

These are luxury problems. The bottom line is I am blessed by so much. How lucky I am to have a computer and a pen.